Jean-Jacques Cornish

Ramaphosa’s economic programme more a rescue than a stimulus

Economists have poured cold water on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s economic stimulus programme.

They say the measures the South African President  outlined to the media in Pretoria yesterday (Friday) contain no new injection of money into the economy that slipped into recession last month. At best it can be termed a recovery programme.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is adamant that South Africa economic salvation lies in attracting foreign investment.

His remarks to the media yesterday – presaged by his briefing to the diplomatic corps a week earlier – laid the foundation  for an investment summit in Johannesburg next month.

He has not put flesh on the bones of his promise to invest in infrastructure and ease the country’s tough visa regime that deters skilled foreign visitors and tourists.

He is redirecting nearly three billion euros, already in the Budget, to those areas of the economy that will most impact youth, women and small business.

Neither he nor his Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene would say which sectors will have to sacrifice their Budget allocation.

Ramaphoa will also redirect 15 billion euros to the infrastructure development  and the agriculture sector.

He says this is designed to respire the economy, attract investment and save jobs.

 

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Jean-Jacques Cornish is a journalist and broadcaster who has been involved in the media all his adult life.

Starting as a reporter on his hometown newspaper, he moved briefly to then Rhodesia before returning to South Africa to become a parliamentary correspondent with the South African Press Association. He was sent to London as Sapa’s London editor and also served as special correspondent to the United Nations. He joined the then Argus group in London as political correspondent.

Returning to South Africa after 12 years abroad, he was assistant editor on the Pretoria News for a decade before becoming editor of the Star and SA Times for five years.

Since 1999 he’s been an independent journalist writing and broadcasting – mainly about Africa – for Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape
Talk, Radio France International, PressTV, Radio Live New Zealand, Business Day, Mail & Guardian, the BBC, Agence France Press,
Business in Africa, Leadership, India Today, the South African Institute for International Affairs and the Institute for Security Studies.

He has hosted current affairs talk shows on Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk. He appears as an African affairs pundit on SABC Africa and CNBC Africa.
He lectured in contemporary studies to journalism students at the Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Pretoria.

He speaks on African affairs to corporate and other audiences.
He has been officially invited as a journalist to more than 30 countries. He was the winner of the 2007 SADC award for radio journalism.

He’s been a member of the EISA team observing elections in Somaliland, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Tunsiai.

In October 2009 he headed a group of 39 African journalists to the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Peoples’ Republic of China.

In January 2010 he joined a rescue and paramedical team to earthquake struck Haiti.

He is immediate past president of the Alliance Francaise of Pretoria.

Jean-Jacques is a director of Giant Media. The company was given access to Nelson Mandela in his retirement years until 2009.
He is co-producer of the hour-long documentary Mandela at 90 that was broadcast on BBC in January 2009.